Paper towel



Feb. 1, 1966 THOMASMA ETAL 3,232,478

PAPER TOWEL 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 2, 1964 INVENTORS Jomv' C. THGMHSMH CI/41:45.5 W TWQMHJ'MH Feb. 1, 1966 c, THOMASMA ET AL 3,232,478

PAPER TOWEL Filed Sept. 2, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TORS JOHN C. mamas/w? Y 0mm. :5 M. THQMHJMH Feb. 1, 1966 c, THOMASMA ETAL 3,232,478

PAPER TOWEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 2, 1964 PM INVENTORS Jaw/v C. THOMHSMH (HA/us: W. TA/OMRJMH United States Patent "ice 3,232,478 PAPER TOWEL John C. Thomasma, Kalamazoo, and Charles W.

Thomasma, Sturgis, Mich, assignors to Sanitor Mfg. Co., Kalamazoo, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Sept. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 394,032 1 Claim. (Cl. 22133) This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 152,563, filed November 15, 1961 and now US. Patent No. 3,152,722, which latter application is, in turn, a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 678,506, filed August 16, 1957, and now abandoned, and of application Serial No. 783,401, filed December 29, 1958, and now US. Patent No. 3,037,717.

This invention relates to a paper towel, particularly to a paper towel which can be packed in fiat form and dispensed in unfolded and uncurled form from a suitable dispenser.

Disposable paper towels are used widely in wash rooms in the home, at automobile service stations and in other places. It has heretofore been the custom to prepare paper towels in the form of rolls or in the form of packs of interfolded individual towels for loading into a suitable dispenser from which individual towels can be dispensed as needed. Both of these forms are familiar in the trade.

It should be pointed out, however, that the provision of paper towels in the form of interfolded packs or in the form of rolls involves certain inherent disadvantages and uneconomical features. In the manufacture of packs of interfolded towels it is necessary that each towel be folded with respect to the next adjacent towel to be dispensed so that the withdrawal of one towel from a dispenser will effect the withdrawal of a part of the next towel into a position such that it can be grasped readily by the hand. This involves the use of costly and complicated folding machinery and requires the presence of a skilled operator to insure the successful operation of the apparatus and the production of properly folded towels. The preparation of paper towels in rolls is also a costly operation since it necessitates a rewinding operation to transfer the paper from a supply roll to the roll which is being formed. Individual towels of such rolls are generally separated from one another by a line of perforations and an additional operation is required to form the perforations. In addition, each roll requires the use of a core made of cardboard or other suitable material around which the perforated paper is wound and the core usually represents a substantial part of the material cost of each roll.

Both interfolded packs and rolls of paper towels are generally packaged in lots of several dozen or more for shipping, requiring the use of a carton made of heavy gauge corrugated paperboard or of other suitable material. Because of the nature of the interfolded packs and of the rolls, it is impossible to compress either of them prior to packing into a shipping carton sufiiciently to permit the economical use of the space within the carton. In the case of rolls the towels cannot be wound too tightly on the core, and there is also invariably a high proportion of waste space in the carton due to the unoccupied spaces between the round rolls. These factors lead not only to the use of undesirably large shipping cartons for the actual weight of paper contained in the cartons but are of importance in determining the freight rate on such large, bulky, relatively lightweight cartons of material. The net result is that both the packaging and shipping costs both of interfolded packs and of rolls of paper towels are excessively high considering the value and actual weight of the towels themselves.

All of the foregoing factors contribute in important ways to the high cost and inconvenience involved in the 3,232,478 Patented Feb. 1, 1966 manufacture, packaging and shipping of paper towels in these forms. In addition, paper towels are often used, especially in the kitchen or laboratory, for purposes which necessitate their being spread out fiat on a table or other surface. Towels which are sharpiy creased, as from being folded, or curled, as from being rolled, are not well suited to such uses and the consumption of paper towels for such purposes would be increased considerably if uncreased and uncurled towels which would lie flat on a flat surface were available.

In the parent application there is described and claimed a dispenser which is adapted to support within it a pack of flat paper towels unsecured to one another and, by manual operation of a suitable dispensing mechanism, to effect ejection of the towels one by one as desired. There is also described briefly in the parent application one preferred modification of a flat towel suitable for use in the claimed dispenser. The present application is concerned, generally, with a paper towel which can be dispensed in fiat, untorn, uncurled and unfolded form using a suitable dispenser, such as that of the parent application, a more precise definition of the towel being given.

It is pointed out here that paper stock from which paper towels are cut is characterized by certain ranges of properties which adapt it particularly to use for towels and which distinguish it from other kinds or grades of paper. Such stock generally has a basis weight, i.e. the weight of 500 sheets each 24 x 36 inches, of from about 20 to about 40 lbs., a caliper, or thickness, of from about 6 to about 13 mils and a Clark stiffness of from about 500 to about 8000, and depending upon the direction in which it is measured. The Clark stiffness unit referred to herein is defined as the cube of the critical length in centimeters as determined on the Clark Softness Tester by the method of TAPPI Standard T. lM60. It is sometimes the practice to divide the cube of the critical length by 100, but this practice is not followed here. To be best suited for use as a paper towel, the paper should have a Clark stillness of from about 500 to about 2900 when measured in the machine direction and 21 Clark stiffness of from about 1100 to about 8000 when measured in the cross direction. In addition, stock for towels is, to promote water absorption, calendered only slightly or not at all, and is generally moderately creped to break the fibers and further promote water absorption. Paper towels are usually cut approximately 8 to 10 inches wide and 10 to 13 inches long. It is, therefore, understood that the term paper towel as used herein means a paper sheet of suitable size and configuration which absorbs water readily and which is cut from paper stock having characteristics approximately within the foregoing ranges. Of these, the stiffness is, as will be apparent, particularly significant in the present instance.

Briefly, the dispenser of the parent application comprises a suitable cabinet including towel-supporting elemerits, or hanger plates, which are fiat, suitably contoured, plate-like members, each of which is secured rigidly in the cabinet so as to extend, generally, laterally of the cabinet from a side of the cabinet toward the other hanger plate located similarly at the other side of the cabinet. The hanger plates diverged toward one another at a suitable angle away from the top of the cabinet and are adapted to engage suitably formed sloping, laterally extending hanger slots in the lateral edges of a pack of fiat paper towels to support the pack in the cabinet, the individual towels of the pack being unsecured in any way to one another. A suitable forwarding mechanism is associated with the front of the cabinet which is adapted to engage, frictionally, the front towel of a pack of towels supported on the hanger plates and to forward the front towel downwardly in sliding contacting relationship with "the next succeeding towel of the pack for a suitable distance in the cabinet until the lower end of the towel projects, by way of a suitable dispensing slot, from the bottom of the cabinet where it can be grasped by the hand and withdrawn completely.

As is further pointed out in the parent application, the action by the forwarding mechanism in forwarding the sheet downwardly results, with a suitably formed towel, in the section of the towel lying between the respective hanger slots and the top edge of the towel, these sections being herein for convenience referred to as friction tab sec-tions, being curled forwardly of the cabinet toward one another and drawn slidingly part way past the hanger plates, the length of travel of the forwarding mechanism being insufiicient to forward the sections entirely past the hanger plates. Under such conditions the curled sections of the towel, due to their stiffness and consequent tendency to uncurl and resume a fiat configuration, press against the inner edges of the hanger plates with sufiicient force to support the forwarded towel within the cabinet after it is disengaged by the forwarding mechanism and thus to prevent it from falling out of the cabinet until it is intentionally withdrawn.

It is essential for proper dispensing in the way described not only that the hanger slots be formed and located suitably in the towel, but that the paper towel have suitable physical properties, particularly stiffness. Thus, a thin, flimsy sheet of tissue, such as a sheet of toilet tissue which generally has a Clark stiffness of from only about 300 to about 360, cannot be dispensed in the manner described. Such fiimsy sheet material, even if it were possible to arrange the hanger slots so as to causea certain amount of curling toward one another of the sect-ions of the sheet immediately above the slots, is not stiff enough to cause the curled sections to press against the edges of the hanger plates with sufficient force to support the sheet. Generally, however, the sections of such a tissue sheet above the hanger slots simply crumple and slide past the hanger plates, often tearing extensively at the ends of the slots. As a result, the partially forward sheet drops from the cabinet onto the floor as soon as it is disengaged by the forwarding mechanism.

Applicants are aware that it has been proposed to support a pack of toilet tissue sheets on side flanges in a cabinet in a manner which, at first glance would seem to resemble somewhat that employed here for the support of a pack of flat paper towels. However in that instance, the notches which engage the flanges are formed perpendicular to the sides of the sheets and are made very short to avoid actual tearing of the sheets at the notches when the sheet is forwarded. In such an arrangement the sections of the sheet above the notches can crumple and slide past the flanges without difiiculty in the way just referred to for such flimsy sheets, but no curling of the sections to effect supporting of the sheet in partially forwarded position in the cabinet can be effected. As a matter of fact, in the instance referred to, it is not intended that the sheets be forwarded and supported in this manner, since the sheets are dispensed in a double or folded position. For this reason it is essential that the notches be formed at the center of the sheet.

It is equally true that sheets of stiff material, such as even lightweight cardboard, can not be dispensed from a pack thereof in the manner described for a paper towel. Such sheets are so stiff that any attempt to curl the sections above the hanger slots by more than a small, minirnal amount results in breakage of the sections. Due to the stiffness of such sheets, actual tearing or breaking of the board rather than curling of the sections occurs. In addition, the force required to forward such a sheet downwardly invariably requires more than frictional engagement with its surface by a forwarding mechanism.

With the foregoing in mind, it is clear that for a paper sheet to be dispensed using the dispenser of the parent application, or its equivalent, it is essential that thesheet material, itself, have physical properties lying within certain limits.

Unexpectedly, it has been found that sheets of paper toweling stock are particularly adapted to being supported in, and dispensed from, the type of dispenser referred to, but that sheet material having physical properties, particularly stiffness, generally outside the ranges of properties defining paper toweling stock is not well adapted to such dispensing. The present invention is, therefore, directed to a fiat paper towel having physical proper-ties within the ranges of those given previouslyand having hanger slots located to enable it to be supported in, and dispensed from, a suitable dispenser in the way described, e.g. to be supported in, and dispensed from the dispenser referred to in the parent application.

The paper towel of the invention, as formed, is conveniently rectangular or square in configuration, the edge which is uppermost when the towel is supported in a dispenser ready for dispensing being herein referred to as the top edge, the opposite edge being referred to as the bottom edge and the other two edges being referred to as lateral edges. The distance between the top and bottom edges is referred to as the length of the towel and the distance between its lateral edges as its width. Since the towel hangs vertically in the dispenser, the hanger slots for supporting the towel are formed in the upper half of the towel, preferably remove-d from the top edge of the towel by a distance not more than about 40% of the length of the towel. A slot is formed in each lateral edge of the towel, the two slots usually being opposite one another. Each slot communicates at its outer end with a lateral edge of the towel, the slot being open at that end but closed at its opposite or inner end. The hanger slots are removed from the top edge of the towel by a distance at least as great as about 10% of the length of the towel. If the slots are removed from the edge of the towel by a distance greater than about 40% of the length of the towel, e.g. if they are formed at the center of or in the lower half of, the towel, the upper half is Likely to fall forward in the dispenser and interfere with the action of the forwarding mechanism. If, on the other hand, the slots are removed from the top edge of the towel by a distance less than about 10% of the length of the towel, the pressure exerted by the curled sections of the partially forwarded towel, on the inner edges of the hanger plates is likely to be insufficient to prevent the towel from falling out of the dispenser.

It should be mentioned that the stiffness, of the toweling stock and the minimum suitable distance by which the hanger slots are removed from the top edge of the towel are to some extent interrelated. Thus, for a towel having a stiffness within the lower part of the range given, it may be somewhat more desirable to insure adequate pressure of the curled sections of the towel against the hanger plates to form the slots somewhat farther removed from the top edge of the towel than is the case with a towel having a stiffness in the upper part of the range given. However, in practice, it has been found that for towels of varying stiffness within the range given suitable dispensing occurs regardless o f-the locations of the slots within the limits stated. It is, of course, advantageous to provide for suitable extension of the towel at the bottom of the dispenser i.e. so that it can be grasped readily before the curled sections disengage the hanger plates. Generally speaking, for optimum dispensing it is advantageous that the curled sections be roughly twice the length of the distance through which the towel is forwarded by the forwarding mechanism so that, when a towel comes to rest in its forwarded position, the hanger plates will engage approximately the centers of the curled sections of the towel.

The hanger slots are formed of appreciable width, conveniently with parallel sides, by cutting away a narrow tongue of the paper towel, rather than merely as slits, such as might be formed by cutting the towel with a single knife edge. The actual width is not critical so long as the slotted towel does not bind on the hanger plates when hung thereon, and bearing in mind that, as pointed out in the parent application, the hanger plates can often slope at an angle with respect to the top edge of the towel greater by from about 2 to about 4 degrees than that of the top side of the hanger slots. .Slots f inch to /f: inch wide have been used with entire satisfaction with hanger plates 5 inch in thickness.

It has been pointed out that paper toweling stock may have, and often does have, a stiffness when measured in one direction which is different from its stiffness measured in the direction transverse to the first direction. This is believed to be due to the orientation of the fibers differently in the two directions as a result of the action of the paper machine on the fibers during the paper making process. Usually, as pointed out previously, the stiffness of the stock is somewhat less in the machine direction, i.e. in the direction of travel of the paper in the paper making machine, than it is in the transverse or cross direction. This can sometimes be considered with advantage in choosing the direction in which to cut the hanger slots in the paper towel. If, for example, the particular toweling stock employed is of minimal stiffness, it may be preferred, but it is not essential, that the slots be cut so that they extend, generally, in the direction of greatest stiffness. On the other hand, when employing paper toweling stock of maximal stiffness, it may be preferable, but not essential, to cut the hanger slots so that they extend, generally, in the direction of least stiffness. Generally speaking, however, satisfactory dispensing of the paper towel is effected when the hanger slots extend in either the machine direction or in the cross direction when the stock from which the towel is cut has :1 Clark stiffness between about 500 asa minimum in one direction and about 8000 as a maximum in the other directions. Stated differently, the hanger slots should extend in the paper towel in a direction, generally, in which the Clark stiffness of the stock is between about 500 and about 8000. Although generally uneconomical, the towel can, of course, be cut on a bias with respect to the machine direction or the cross direction.

The length of the hanger slots is of some importance, but not particularly critical. During the dispensing operation the sections of the towel between the slots and the top edge of the sheet are curled inwardly toward one another but should not become curled on such a short radius that they will be broken or inclined to tear at the inner end of the slot rather than to curl. With the towel having the characteristics given, the slots should be at least /2 inch, preferably at least 4 inch long. Since it is desirable that the sections of the towel curl through an angle of at least about 90 degrees, preferably through an angle between 90 degrees and about 180 degrees, it is clear that the length of the slot and the angle of curling of the curled section are related. The maximum length of the hanger slots is somewhat less critical than the minimum length just referred to. Generally speaking, the slots need not be longer than from about 1 /2 to about 2 inches and a length much longer than this is undesirable. If the slots are too long, proper curling of the sections of the towel lying above them may not be initiated properly. In most instances, hanger slots having a length of from about inch to about 1% inch, are preferred.

As noted previously, each hanger slot is cut so that it diverges from its open end at the lateral edge of the towel away from the top edge of the towel at a suitable angle. It has been found that for best results this angle should be between about 5 degrees and about 30 degrees. When the angle of divergence of the hanger slots is less than about 5 degrees, the initiation of the curling of the friction tab sections does not always occur with the regularity which is desirable. When the angle of divergence of the hanger slots is greater than about 30 degrees, there is danger of more than one towel being forwarded by a single operation of the forwarding mechanism. In general the greater the Clark stiffness of the paper towel in the lateral direction, the greater the angle of divergence of the hanger slots can be, within the limits given, without likelihood of more than one towel being forwarded at the same time. With properly formed and located slots the paper towels are dispensed singly in unbroken and untorn condition and will immediately lie fiat on a flat surface. Since the individual towels are unsecured to one another in any way, no sections of the towel, as at a region of fastening, are torn away.

Applicants are aware that it has been proposed to provide a pack of fiat paper towels secured together with a staple near the center of the top edge and having a pair of slots located on either side of the staple which extend from the top edges of the towels generally downward and convergent toward one another. The pack in such instance is supported in a suitable cabinet by a pair of fiat downwardly extending convergent supporting members which engage the slots. To dispense an individual towel the front towel of the pack is forwarded downwardly and the supporting tab lying between the convergent slots is torn bodily from the towel. When all of the towels have been dispensed, the plug of stapled, torn-away tabs remaining between the convergent support members is removed and discarded.

The proposed arrangement of the preceding paragraph suffers from inherent disadvantages which are avoided by applicants towel. It is inherent in the proposed arrangement that the supporting tab be torn from each towel leaving an unsightly sheet and wasting a significant proportion of each towel. The sections of the towel lying between the slots and the upper edge of the towel can not be withdrawn past the supporting members since the supporting tabs are all stapled together. There is thus no possibility of their curling to support the forwarded main body of the towel. There is no means whatever for supporting the towel in its forwarded position until it can be grasped by the hand once it has been disengaged by the forwarding means. This limits the kind of forwarding means which can be employed to one which remains in engagement with the forwarded towel until it is grasped and withdrawn and thus adds measurably to the complexity and cost of the entire dispensing apparatus. Applicants concept of locating the hanger slots in the lateral edges of the towel to avoid stapling the towels together and tearing away of a section of the towel when dispensed and to permit the use of a simpler and less costly dispensing mechanism is nowhere embodied in, and is not apparent from, the heretofore proposed arrangement.

The invention can be understood readily by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein, in the interest of clarity, certain features are shown on a somewhat exaggerated scale. In the drawing there is shown not only the paper towel of the invention but also in considerable detail, to illustrate the advantages of the invention, a dispensing apparatus suitable for dispensing the towel and the mode of its operation. This invention, is however, not limited to any particular dispensing apparatus. In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a fiat paper towel embodying features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an oblique elevation of a towel dispenser for dispensing individual towels similar to that of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation, partially in section, of the dispenser of FIGURE 2 showing certain additional features thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a partial plan view of a cut metal blank illustrating one way in which certain features of the dispenser are provided for;

FIGURE 5 is a partial side sectional elevation showing the way in which the blank of FIGURE 4 is incorporated in the dispenser;

FIGURE 6 is a partial front sectional elevation corresponding to the side sectional elevation of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a partial vertical sectional elevation showing an alternate arrangement of certain of the parts;

FIGURE 8 is a partial front elevation corresponding to the partial vertical sectional elevation of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is an elevation, partially in section, taken along the line IXIX of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 10 is a side elevation, partially in section and with certain parts cut away, taken along the line X--X of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 11 is a side elevation, partially in section, corresponding to FIGURE 10 but showing a partial advancement of certain of the parts;

FIGURE 12 is a side elevation, partially in section, corresponding to FIGURE 11 but showing a further advancement of certain of the parts;

FIGURE 13 is a partial vertical sectional view taken along the line XIIIXIII of FIGURE 12; and

FIGURE 14 is an oblique elevation of a bound pack of paper towels of the invention.

Referring to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated a paper towel 15 which is adapted to be supported vertically in unfolded and unr'olled flat conditionin a suitable dispenser in a manner such that an individual towel may be dispensed from a pack thereof supported in the dispenser. It will be noted that the towel 15 is completely free of perforations or tear lines of any sort along which it must be torn during the dispensing operation and it will be apparent as the description proceeds that, when a plurality of the towels are assembled in face-to-face relationship in a pack and the pack loaded into a dispenser, the individual towels, although in face-to-face contact, are completely separate from one another. No stubs of the individual towels or plugs of the pack remain in the dispenser. Furthermore, because of the regular rectangular shape of the towel, an assembled pack 55, of FIGURE 14, of a plurality of towels of satisfactorily high weight per unit volume for economical shipping can be formed, the pack being preferably bound with a paper band 16, as also illustrated in FIGURE 14. In addition, it will be clear that the packs, themselves, can be loaded into a suitably dimensioned shipping carton with essentially no waste space in the filled carton. Because of these considerations, the packaging and shipping costs of packs of the towels are reduced to a minimum.

A feature of the towel 15 is the provision which is madeto support it in a dispenser both until the initiation of a dispensing operation and, of especial importance, until a sufiicient section of an individual towel has been forwarded or ejected out of the dispenser into a position such that it can be grasped by the hand and the entire towel then withdrawn. Because of this feature there is no danger whatsoever of a partially ejected towel dropping'out of the dispenser onto the floor before it is grasped by the hand. The supporting feature referred to consists of a pair of hanger slots 17 and 18 which extend from opposite lateral edges 19 and 21, respectively, of the towel 15 in the general direction of one another.

In a particular instance a number of paper towels each 8% inches wide" by 11% inches long were cut from a moderately creped paper toweling stock having a basis weight of 35 lbs., a caliper of 6 mils and a Clark stiffness in the machine direction of 2803 and in the cross direction of 3113. The towels were cut with their lengths extending in the cross direction of the stock. Hanger slots located 2% inches from the top edge of the towel were cut in its lateral edges so as to extend toward one another'and to diverge at an angle of about degrees away from the top edge of the towel. Each hanger slot was 1.0 inch long and approximately A inch wide with parallel sides. The towels were assembled in packs of 100 each and bound with paper bands. In another instance towels of the same size were cut from stock of somewhat less stiffness. The hanger slots in this instance diverged at an angle between degrees and degrees away from the top edge of the sheet. In each instance the towels could be dispensed readily from a dispenser resembling that of the parent application.

It will be observed that if lines, represented by the dotted lines 25 and 26 of FIGURE 1, are drawn from the inner ends of the hanger slots 17 and 18, respectively, parallel with the lateral edges 19 and 21 of the towel 15 upward until they interest the top edge 22 of the towel, there are defined between the slots, the upper ends of the lateral edges 19 and 21 of the towel, the ends of the top edge 22 of the towel and the dotted lines 25 and 26 a pair of friction tab sections 27 and 28 of the towel. As will also be apparent from the following description, the tab sections 27 and 28 are each designed, as illustrated in FIGURE 13, to be curled inwardly of the towel toward one another during the dispensing operation through an angle of at least about degrees, often through almost degrees, into partial cylindrical form. The curling of the tab sections should be on a radius great enough to avoid creasing or breaking of the stock of the sections to an extent such that when they are released from the dispenser they will not uncurl and lie fiat in essentially the flat plane of the balance of the towel.

Referring now to a dispenser suitable for containing a pack of towels similar to that of FIGURE 1 from which individual towels can be dispensed as desired, it will be noted from FIGURE 2 that one suitable dispenser comprises a flat cabinet of neat appearance, indicated generally at numeral 31, which can be hung on a wall or other support in any suitable fashion. The cabinet 31 as shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 13 comprises a back member, including a back panel 32, upturned and forwardly projecting inner side panels 33 and 34 and a forwardly projecting inner top panel 35. The panels 33 and 34 are not necessarily connected at their upper ends with the panel 35. The cabinet 31 also comprises a front member, including a front panel 36, rearwardly projecting outer side panels 37 and 38 and a rearwardly projecting outer top panel 41. The back and front members are dimensioned with respect to one another so that the back member will telescope easily and snugly inside the front member when the cabinet is closed as in FIGURE 2. The back and front members are hinged together at the bottom as by hinge pins 42 of FIGURE 3 to permit the cabinet to be opened and closed by rotating the front member around the pins 42 with respect to the back member. The relationship of the inner side panels 33 and 34 and the outer side panels 37 and 38 when the cabinet is closed is shown particularly in FIGURE 13.

The cabinet 31 is provided with any suitable fastening arrangement to keep it closed, as by a hook 43 secured to the lower side of the inner top panel 35 and a suitable catch 44 secured in suitable fashion inside the upper part of the front member in a position such that when the cabinet is closed the hook will engage the catch. Any convenient means can be employed for unlatching the fastening device when it is desired to open the cabinet. One convenient arrangement, indicated in FIGURE 2, comprises an open slot in the outer top panel 41 through which a key or other flat instrument can be inserted to depress the rearward end of the latch 44 and disengage it from the hook 43. The back and front members are open at the bottom. However, the lower end of the front panel 36 can, if desired, be sloped rearwardly in the form of a sloping throat panel 46 to decrease somewhat the size of the opening at the bottom of the cabinet and thus to restrict to some extent the entrance of dust and dirt into the cabinet as well as to prevent pilferage of towels from the bottom of the dispenser.

The back member is provided with a pair of hanger plates 47 and 48, one of which is shown in FIGURE 3 and both of which are shown in FIGURE 13. The hanger plates serve to support a pack of paper towels of the kind illustrated in FIGURE 1 within the cabinet. One method of forming and attaching the hanger plate 47 is illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8, it being understood that the opposite hanger plate 48 is formed and secured in similar fashion. According to the arrangement of FIG- URES 7 and 8, a suitably contoured strip of metal or other suitable material is formed in an approximately right-angular configuration so that one arm of the bent member can serve as a support plate 51 for the hanger plate. The support plate is secured to the inner surface of the back panel 32, as by rivets 52. In an alternate method for forming the hanger plates 47 and 48, a fiat sheet of metal 53, which is to be used subsequently for forming the back member of the cabinet, is cut with a suitable die as illustrated in FIGURE 4 to provide a tongue which is to serve as the hanger plate 47 but which remains secured to the sheet along its rearward end. The tongue 47 is then bent upwardly until it extends at approximately right angles from the sheet 53 and the side of the sheet is also bent upwardly along the dotted line 54. In the finished cabinet the upturned edge of the flat metal sheet 53 thus becomes the inner side panel 33 and the adjacent portion of the sheet becomes the inner back panel 32. opposite hanger plate 48 is formed in similar manner at the same time.

The contours and locations of the hanger plates 47 and 48 within the cabinet 31 are of considerable importance. The outer edges of the hanger plates can be located as closely-adjacent to the inner side panels 33 and 34 as conveniently possible in the interest of conserving space and material required to form the cabinet. It will thus be apparent as the description proceeds that the cabinet need only be a little wider than the width of a pack of towels which is to be suspended in it. The location of such a pack in the filled cabinet is shown clearly in FIG- URES 3 and 10, as well as in various others of the fig ures, the outermost or front towel of the pack being referred to by the numeral 15 and the pack, in general, being referred to by the numeral 55. As is seen from FIG- URE 3, the pack 55 can extend almost to the top of the cabinet leaving room above it only for the hook 43 and catch 44 or for other elements of similar function. Similarly, as will be apparent from an examination of FIG- URE 10, the pack 55 can extend essentially to the bottom of the cabinet so that the over-all area of the cabinet need be very little more than the overall area of each individual towel.

Itwill be noticed from FIGURE 8, as well as from FIGURE 6 and from various other of the figures, that the hanger plates 47 and 48 slope downwardly and laterally from their outer edges toward the center of the cabinet in much the same way as the hanger slots 17 and 18 in the towel 15 of FIGURE 1 diverge inwardly of the towel away from its top edge 22. As will be apparent from the drawing, especially from FIGURE 6, the hanger plates 47 and 48 are inserted into the hanger slots 17 and 18, respectively, of the towels when a pack of towels is loaded into the cabinet. The loading operation is accomplished by opening the cabinet and swinging its front member downwardly out of the way and then inserting a pack of towels into the cabinet against the back panel 32 so that each hanger plate engages its respective hanger slot in each of the towels in the pack, it being apparent from FIGURE 14 that the band should not cover the hanger slots. This relationship is shown clearly in FIGURES 3, 6,10 and 13/ The degree of slope, i.e. the angle of divergence, of the hanger plates '47 and 48 is dependent to some extent upon the characteristics, such as the stiffness, of the paper towel which is to be dispensed using the dispenser. In general, the hanger plates should diverge centrally of the dispenser at an angle of from about degrees to about 30 degrees away from the inner top panel 33 of the cabinet, usually at an angle of from about 8 degrees to about 23 degrees. It will, of course, be apparent that, in general, the angle of divergence, as indicated at 56 of FIGURE 6, of the hanger plates away from the inner It is, of course, understood that the.

top panel 35 of the cabinet will be approximately the same as their angle of divergence away from the top edges 22 of the paper towels in a pack loaded into the dispenser since the top edges 22 will generally be essentially parallel with the inner top panel 35. Although it will be noted that the range of angles of divergence given for the hanger plates 47 and 48, as indicated at 56 of FIGURE 6, is approximately the same as that for the hanger slots of the paper towels which are to be dispensed using the dispenser, it should be pointed out that in any particular instance it is generally advisable that the angle of divergence of the hanger plates be slightly greater than the angle of divergence of the hanger slots 17 and 18 of the towels. Although this difference will also depend to some extent upon the particular properties of the paper towel to be dispensed, it is generally satisfactory for the hanger plates to diverge at an angle which is from about 2 degrees to about 5 degrees greater than the angle of divergence of the hanger slots. Thus, in the instance where paper towels having the characteristics previously referred to are to be dispensed from the dispenser, it is often convenient for the hanger plates 47 and 48 to diverge from the inner top panel 35, or from the top edge 22 of a towel suspended in the dispenser, at an angle which is approximately 3 degrees greater than the angle at which the respective hanger slots 17 and 18 diverge from the top edge 22 of the towel. This preferred relationship between the hanger plates and hanger slots is shown clearly in FIGURE 6. The reason for this preferred difference in the angles of divergence of the plates and slots will be mentioned later.

The proper contouring of the edge of each hanger plate facing the opposite hanger plate, i.e. its inner edge, is also important. As illustrated, especially in FIGURES 4, 7, and 13, it is convenient for the inner edge of each plate to extend forwardly in the dispenser essentially perpem dicularly to the back panel 32 for a considerable distance, conveniently for a distance at least as great as the thickness of a pack of towels which is to be mounted in the dispenser for dispensing. However, it will also be noted that the forward section 91 of the inner edge of the hanger plate 4'7, i.e. the section farthest removed from the back panel 32, is curved relatively sharply toward the opposite hanger plate 48, the same being true of the forward section 92 of the hanger plate 48 with respect to the hanger plate 47. The sections 91 and 92 thus curve forwardly of the dispenser toward one another on essentially equal radii. The advantage of this configuration will be referred to later.

The actual radius of curvature of the forward section of the inner edge of each hanger plate can lie within a relatively wide range depending, to a considerable extent, upon the physical properties of the particular towels to be dispensed from the dispenser. Generally speaklng, it is advisable in most instances for the radius of curvature of the sections 91 and 92 to be between about /53 inch and about 71 inch. In the dispensing of paper towels having properties heretofore mentioned, it is usually convenient to form the sections 91 and $2 on a radius of from about inch to about inch.

It is also desirable, although not essential in all cases, that the base of each hanger plate, i.e. the end of edge of the plate adjacent to the back panel 32, be formed on a short radius as indicated at 57 of FKGURES 5, 6, 7 and 8 so that the rearward end of the plate curves upward slightly before it adjoins or becomes integral with the back panel 32. This curvature of the rearward ends of the hanger plates can be quite small, usually on a radius between about & inch and 6, inch or more, often about /a inch. The advantage of forming the hanger plate in this way is that, as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, when a pack of paper towels is disposed in the cabinet on the hangers in the way which has been mentioned, and with the plates 47 and 48 diverging from the upper edges of the sheets somewhat more than the hanger slots 17 and 18,

I l the outer lower corners of'the friction tabs 27 "and 28 will be curled forwardly to a slight extent by the weight of the towels and assume the posture illustrated in an exaggerated manner at 58 of FIGURES 5 and 6. This slightly curled posture of the lower outer corners of the friction tab sections of each towel in response to the upwardly curved nature of the rearward ends 57 of the hanger plates is accentuated by the relationship of the angles of divergence of the hanger plates and the hanger slots described in a connection with FIGURE 6, which causes the lower outer corners of the tab section 27 and 28 to contact the upper surfaces of the hanger plates first, and thus to sustain the entire weight of the sheet or towel until a slight amount of curling of the corner occurs and further sections of the upper edge of the hanger'slot farther removed from the edge of the sheet are brought into contact with the upper surface of the hanger plate. This arrangement initiates and facilitates further curling of the friction tab sections 27 and 28 during the dispensing operation which will now be described.

The manner in which a towel or sheet is dispensed from the dispenser will be apparent fromthe foregoing paragraphs and from an inspection of FIGURES 10, ll, 12 and 13. In FIGURE'lO it will be noted that a pack of paper towels 55, from which the band 16 has been remved,'is disposed within the dispenser in the way which has been described, the hanger plate 47 engaging the hanger slot 17 of each towel contained in the pack. The fronttowel which will be dispensed first is referred to by the numeral 15, it being understood that once the front towel is dispensed the towel immediately behind it can then be dispensed next and that this operation can be repeated until every towel in the pack has been dispensed. The dispensing operation is initiated by causing a frictional forwarding element 61 of FIGURE 10, the actuation of which will be referred to later to engage the forward surface of the front towel 15 frictionally at a point below the hanger plates 47 and 48 and to then move downwardlyin the cabinet while still in engagement with the towel, thus forwarding the towel downwardly in progressive fashion, as illustrated in FIGURES 11 and 12, until the lower end of the towel projects from the open bottom of the dispenser far enough to be grasped by the hand; The frictional forwarding element 61 can then return to its original position. The partially extended towel 15 is then grasped by the hand and drawn downwardly out of the dispenser.

Referring again to FIGURE 10, it will be noted that the front towel 15 is disposed within the dispenser with the hanger plate 4 7 engaging the hanger slot 17 much as shown in FIGURES and 6. It is, of course, understood that the hanger plate 48 engages the hanger slot 18 in a similar fashion. As soon as the frictional element 61 in its downward movement engages the front surface of the front towel 15 and begins to forward the towel downwardly, forward curling of the friction tab sections 27 and 28 of the towel toward one another occurs, as shown in an intermediate stage in FIGURE 11, in response to the pressure of the sloping lower ends of the friction tab sections upon the upper surfaces of the hanger plates.

As the towel 15 is forwarded further downwardly, the lower edge of the friction tab sections 27 and 28 engage the inwardly curved forward end sections 91 and 92 of the inner edges of the hanger plates 47 and 48 and the curling of each tab section toward the opposite tab section is accentuated. As the frictional element 61 continues its downward travel, the curling of each entire friction tab section is caused to occur until the entire section is, as shown in FIGURE 12, in approximately partial cylindrical configuration, the curling usually occuring through a radius of at least approximately 90 degrees until each friction tab section is in the approximate configuration of at least one-quarter of the surface of a cylinder, often being almost serni'cylindrical in configuration. This final configuration-of the friction tab sections 27 and. 28 and their relationships to the hanger plates 47 and 48, to the section of the towel 15 below the hanger slots and to the rest of the pack 55 are shown clearly in FIGURE 13. Here it will be noted that the curled tab sections 27 and 28, because of their inherent stiffness and because they are not curled on a small enough radius to cause breakage or creasing of the sections, press firmly and outwardly against the inner edges of the hanger plates 47 and 48 while the upper section of the towel between the tab sections 27 and 28, e.g. the section 63, because of the tension under which the tab sections 27 and 28 are held, presses firmly against the next adjacent towel in the pack.

By arresting the downward travel'of the towel 15 when it has been forwarded downwardly sufliciently to assume the position shown in FIGURES 12 and 13, e.g. for roughly one-half the length of the sections, the frictional forwarding element 61 can'then-be returned to its original position as shown in FIGURE 10 out of contact with the towel 15, and the pressure of the tab sections 27 and 28 against the hanger plates 47 and 48, and of the upper central section 63 of the towel against the next adjacent towel, causes the forwarded towel to remain suspended in the dispenser with its lower end protruding beneath the dispenser in a position where it can be grasped readily by the hand. With the towelsuspended in this fashion there is no danger of its slipping downwardly out of the cabinet and falling on the floor to become soiled and wasted even though it be left suspended in this manner It is apparent that once the over a considerable time. towel 15 has been withdrawn completely from the dispenser the foregoing dispensing cycle can be repeated immediately and the next most forward towel dispensed in the same manner.

The frictional forwarding element 61 illustrated in FIGURES 9, 10, 11 and 12 can be of any conventional and suitable design and can be caused to travel in its path by any suitable type of mechanism. The nature of the forwarding mechanism described and illustrated in this application and the manner of its operation will be apparent from'FIGURES 9, 1O, 11 and 12. This mechanism is secured to the 'inner surface of the front panel of the cabinet and projects for only a little distance rearwardly into the cabinet, thus facilitating the 'use of a cabinet having a minimum distance between its front and back panels. An actuating button or knob65,-

secured to an element of the forwarding mechanism inside the cabinet, projects forwardly through an actuator slot 66 in the front panel 36, as illustrated more particularly in FIGURE 2, the slot serving to guide the knob 65 in its vertical travel and to limit its travel upwardly and downwardly. The upper surface of the knob 65 is generally sloped upwardly away from the front panel of the cabinet to prevent the finger from slipping otf the knob when the knob is pressed downwardly. The dispensing operation is effected by the operator entirely by pressing the knob 65 downwardly as far as it will go in the slot 66 and then releasing it.

The dispensing mechanism also comprises a base plate 67 of suitably thin rigid material secured to the inside of the front panel 36 as by rivets 68. The base. plate 67 is provided along its vertical edges with a pair of upstanding channels which face one another and which are formed conveniently by upstanding side members 71 and narrow longitudinal strips 72 removed from the surface of the base plate by a distance equal to the width of the side members 71. The channels thus formed are on the side of the base plate 67 opposite the front panel 36.

A suitable slider 73 of suitable width to be retained in the channels is located therein and adapted to slide upwardly and downwardly with respect to the base plate 67. A limit button 74 secured near the upper end of the base plate 67 limits the upward travel of the slider 73. The slider 73 is retained normally in its uppermost or retracted position by a suitable tensioned coil spring 75,

one end of which is hooked over the upper end of the base plate and the other end of which is hooked over the lower edge of the slider. In one modification the slider is formed with a pair of raised inverted troughlike sections 76 and the spring 75 is conveniently located in one of these so that the major part of it is covered most of the time. The base plate 67 is provided with a slot 77 at least as long and as wide as the actuator slot 66 and in register therewith. The slider 73 is also provided with a short slot 78 which, with the slider in its retracted position, is in register with the upper end of the slots 66 and 77.

An elongated actuator tongue 81 is secured at its upper end, as by a rivet 82, to the upper section of the slider 73. The actuator tongue projects downwardly of the dispenser from the rivet 82 for a suitable distance and has the frictional forwarding element 61 secured to its lower end, as will be described. The actuator tongue 81 is formed conveniently by being molded of a suit-able plastic material so that it is relatively rigid from its lower end over most of its length upwardly. stiffening ribs 83 can be for-med along the edges of its rigid section if dcsirabie or necessary. The actuator tongue 31 is also formed with a short section 84 which is sufiiciently flexible to enable the forwarding element 61 to be swung into and out of frictional engagement with the forward towel 15 of the pack 55. This arrangement is conveniently provided for by making the section 84 thinner than the rest of the tongue and providing for termination of the stiffening ribs short of the flexible section. The entire tongue 81 can thus be molded out of a suitable resinous material. The actuator button 65 can be formed integral with the actuator tongue 81, as illustrated in FIGURES 10, 11 or 12 or it can be formed separately and secured to the tongue as by a rivet 85 of FIGURE 9.

It will thus be observed that, when the mechanism is operated with the slider and attached parts in their retracted positions by pressing downwardly on the top of the actuator button 65 with the finger, the button slides freely in the slots 66 and 77. Because of the pressure of the finger on the button 65 is offset laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the actuator arm 81, the lower end of the arm is swung inwardly and the frictional element 61 is brought into engagement with the forward towel in the pack essentially simultaneously with initiation of the downward travel of the slider 73. The knob 65 moves freely inwardly and outwardly through the slot 78 in the slider 73. The degree of pressure exerted by the frictional element 61 on the forward towel is related to some extent to the force exerted by the tension spring 75. As the knob 65 is pressed downwardly the slider 73 and the tongue 81, together with the frictional element 61, move downwardly as a unit and the front towel is forwarded downwardly in the way described previously. The limit of travel of the towel downwardly is, of course, defined by the length of the slot 66 and the distance through which the knob 65 can travel. For best results it is generally advisable to arrange for this distance to be approximately one-half, or somewhat less, of the length of the friction tab sections 27 and 28 of the towel.

The frictional forwarding element 61 can be secured to the lower end of the actuator arm 81 in convenient fashion. In one convenient arrangement the element 61 consists of an approximately half round section of relatively soft rubber with surface corrugations extending transversely with respect to the direction of travel of the slider. The actuator tongue 81 is formed with a broadened lower end 86 on which the element 61 is seated and to which it is secured by a suitable wire clip 87 lying in a suitable groove cut in the surface of the element 61. The parts are preferably arranged so that the frictional element 61 engages the towel approximately midway between its lateral edges and at a point below the horizontal center line of the towel. In this way any interference of the pressure exerted by the frictional element 61 upon the pack of towels with the proper curling of the friction tab sections of the towel is entirely avoided.

It will, of course, be observed that during the forwarding of the front towel by the frictional element 61 the forwarded towel is caused to slide along the surface of the second towel in the pack. This offers no difliculty whatsoever provided the frictional element 61 is chosen to engage the front towel with more friction than that with which the engaged section of the towel engages the next adjacent towel in the pack. It is sometimes advantageous to provide the back panel 32 with a thin friction plate, illustrated at 93 of FIGURE 12, over an area of its inner surface which receives .a thrust from the fric tional element 61 during its travel. Such a plate can comprise a sheet of soft rubber cemented to the back panel or can even be formed by painting a suitable area of the back panel with a composition which forms a film with a friction surface, or in any other suitable way. The provision of such a friction plate, although by no means essential, overcomes any tendency, which may sometimes be encountered with certain types of towels, for more than one towel to be forwarded downwardly by a single stroke of the frictional forwarding element 61 when most of the towels in the pack have been dispensed.

We claim:

A flat towel comprising:

a flat, unfolded sheet of paper toweling stock of suitable size and water-absorbency, having top, bottom and lateral edges and having at Clark stiffness meas ured in either the machine direction or the cross direction of between about 500 and about 8000,

a hanger slot of suitable width and length with essentially parallel sides in communication with a lateral edge of the towel extending therefrom toward the opposite lateral edge having a length of at least about one half inch and diverging at an angle of from about 5 degrees to about 30 degrees away from the top edge of the towel,

the slot being removed from the top edge of the towel by a distance equal to between about 10% and about 40% of the distance between the top and bottom edges of the towel,

and a similarly formed hanger slot communicating with the opposite lateral edge of the towel,

each section of the towel lying between a hanger slot and the top edge of the towel being adapted to be curled laterally toward the opposite section through an angle of from about degrees to about degrees on a radius sufficiently great to avoid breaking or creasing of the section while avoiding tearing at the end of the slot.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 373,301 11/1887 Onderdonk 22l26 691,294 1/ 1902 SchilZ 20657 1,200,837 10/1916 Hoberg 221-213 2,198,176 4/1940 Pcrrin 22l47 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiner.

W. SOBIN, Assistant Examiner. 

